


A Second Chance

by QueensKnight87



Category: Once Upon A Time - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29832837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueensKnight87/pseuds/QueensKnight87
Summary: At Regina's coronation party an unexpected and unwanted guest crashes and demands revenge just as Regina thought her worst problem was her unexpressed and newly rejuvenated feelings for Emma. Now Regina has to prove to herself that she's not only deserving of her new title as Queen, but also of Emma's love, all the while figuring out how to save her people.
Relationships: Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Regina's post coronation party was in full swing. Everyone was celebrating the newly crowned Queen. Regina had made the rounds, talked to everyone who had wanted to congratulate her individually. She'd smiled, and nodded, and shook at least a hundred hands. After about halfway through the party, Regina looked around the room, and finally no one was standing in line waiting to say their piece. She looked at all of her family and friends. She finally had everything...well almost everything.

From across the room she could see Emma with Hope...and the pirate. She subconsciously cringed when she kissed his cheek. She'd almost forgotten how hard that was to watch. When she'd come up with the idea to merge the realms, she could only think of how much they all missed their homes and families, and it never occured to her that coming home might be this hard. But she had to stand here and continue to smile, and nod, and except everyone's kind words, because if she didn't they might figure it out. The secret that she'd been keeping for so many years now. They would figure out she was, in fact, in love with Emma Swan. A fact she hadn't even been able to admit to herself until recently, nevermind other people.

It had hit her hard the day they returned to Storybrooke. When she first saw Emma again. It had been so long, years really, by her time of course, for Emma it had only been months, but the second she locked eyes with her beautiful green orbs again after so long, her whole world froze in that moment, and she was home. Having been away from her for so long certainly gave her perspective. She had been in her life long enough that she'd become used to burying her feelings. So when she hadn't had to for awhile, they came at her like a ton of bricks. Had it always been like this? Did the mere sight of Emma always make her stomach jump into her throat? Did her heart always beat faster? Her mind frantically searched her memories to try and remember when this feeling had begun. She couldn't remember the exact moment...but yes it had been this way for quite some time. How? How had this happened without her realizing...she'd known something was there...but she hadn't realized just how strong that something was...until now. Now, all of the sudden, she had forgotten how to hide it. How on earth had she done that for so long when she felt as though she might explode after only a few moments with her now?

Her mind pulled itself back to the present, and as soon as she thought she'd be unnoticed, Regina slipped out of the party and into a smaller room. She'd wanted to run out the second Emma had suggested she'd gotten her 'happy beginning' to be honest, but she had to make a show of it. How could she be really, truly happy without Emma? And for her to use that particular phrase, the thing she used to describe her wedding to guy liner, and all while holding his one good hand...it was almost too much for her. If she hadn't been a bit high on just having hugged her she might have shattered into little peices right then and there. No wonder she hadn't hugged her often before...it was a bad idea...because it gave her bad ideas...ideas like kissing her or running her fingers through her hair...very bad ideas. She'd always kept her distance, but now that hugging was on the table, she couldn't just take it off the table again without it seeming weird. Boy was she in trouble.

After a few minutes, she could hear footsteps coming from behind her.

"So, does this mean I have to like, curtsey whenever you walk in a room now, cause let me tell you now...I have no idea how to do that." Said Emma as Regina turned to meet her gaze. Of course she noticed her absence. She always had. She was the only one who had for the longest time. She half smiled at Emma's quip, trying to seem normal.

"No, Miss Swan, I think I'll spare you the humiliation of attempting it." She answered.

"Why aren't you out there? I mean this whole shindig is for you after all? Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm...I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?...I just needed some space. A break from shaking all those hands." Regina explained. Emma was unconvinced, but recognized her closed off body language. She wasn't going to get anything out of her at that particular moment.

"Okay, well, you know you can tell me if you're not okay. If something is bothering you, I'm here." Emma assured. Regina smiled.

"You can sheath your sword savior. I'm in no need of a rescue." She replied.

"Okay." Emma said flatly, still unconvinced. She looked Regina over one more time, wanting to push it further, but knowing she shouldn't. So instead she smiled a bit and turned. "I'll see you back in there then."

"Yeah. I'll be back in a minute." She assured as she watched Emma disappear back into the party. Regina let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She needed to remember how to hide those feelings again and fast. That is if she was even still capable of it. What if she wasn't? What if she was doomed to have to hide in another room everytime the one handed wonder decided to enact some PDA? What a pathetic wreck she'd become. The Once Great and Terrible Evil Queen was cowering in the corner hiding from from a couple making kissy faces. This 'second chance' sure wasn't off to the greatest of starts. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Yep, she was definitely pathetic.

Just as she was about to wipe away the traitorous droplet, the door opened a second time. She attempted to straighten herself up quickly, as she realized it was Zelena, but failed miserably.

"There you are, I was looking all over for you and then I saw Emma coming out..." she paused when she noticed her little sis had been crying. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Completely fine." She lied.

"Right, because it's completely normal to be hiding in a dark room crying at a party to celebrate you basically being Queen of the universe with all your friends and family in the other room." Came Zelena's reply, dripping with her signature brand of sarcasm.

"I'm not Queen of the universe." She replied, rolling her eyes.

"No, just a solid third of it." She answered back. "And don't change the subject. What's going on?" She added, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Why doesn't anyone ever believe me when I say I'm fine?" She stood up straight now, tears subsided in favor of annoyance.

"Because you're a terrible liar." She deadpanned. "Honestly, I can't believe Emma would just walk out of here and leave you crying...unless...she was the reason you're crying..." Regina turned her face away.

'No, no, no. She can't...she didn't just ask me that.' She thought in a panic that unfortunately was written all over her face.

"She is isn't she? I knew you'd been acting weird around her ever since we came back from the wish realm." Zelena spoke a little too loudly.

"Would you keep your voice down. I don't need all the realms to know my sister is a nutcase." She whispered loudly, still attempting to cover.

"Nutcase?" She asked insulted, as Regina looked out the door to make sure no one heard and then quickly closed it again. "You're in here hiding, and I'm the nutcase?... Why are you even so upset? What did Emma do..." and it suddenly hit her "Oh, bloody hell. You're in love with her aren't you?" She said it in jest, not realizing. Regina's eyes grew wide. 'No, no, no. This isn't happening.' Her mind screamed.

"Zelena, shhh." She pleaded, but she was ignored.

"So many things make so much more sense now. No wonder you bloody followed her to Camelot and the Underworld and the Wish Realm and every other ridiculous place she got herself stuck in." Zelena went on in her usual fashion.

"Okay, okay, yes alright. Yes. Please just be quiet." She begged, as Zelena realized she'd over done it. The seriousness in Regina's expression made her feel bad at poking fun.

"Wait, you mean you really..." She asked more collected. Regina nodded in defeat.

"Yes. I'm...in love...with Emma." She practically choked out. "But you can't, you can't tell anyone."

"Well if you keep making it so obvious I won't have to." Zelena said.

"Promise me." Regina ordered with a scolding look.

"I promise." Zelena answered sincerely. Regina breathed a small sigh of relief but was still clearly upset."Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just...never actually said it before, not even to myself, I just..." she explained.

"How long have you...?" Zelena began, but Regina cut her off.

"Not...now. I need to process this, I...can we talk about it some other time, please." She pleaded.

"Alright." She answered. They then heard a knock at the door.

"Regina, are you in there?" Came Snow's voice.

"Is every person I ever met going to come looking for me?" Regina whispered.

"Well, apparently that's what they do in this family." Zelena whispered back. "Can't a girl have a private gab fest with her sister." She said louder for Snow's benefit, then she poofed them two drinks and disappeared Regina's tear stains just as Snow opened the door. They both faked a smile. Snow looked at them awkwardly but shrugged it off.

"Granny made a giant cake. She's just about to bring it out so you should come see it." Snow said.

"Sounds great. We'll be right there." Regina said.

Snow shot them another odd look, but gave them a quick "Okay." And left.

"Thank God she's a little slow on the uptake, but that's bot going to work again." Zelena said quietly.

"I know." She replied as they followed Snow back to the party.

When they entered the ballroom once again, the cake was being wheeled in and it was indeed 'giant', and gold, and it had sparklers sticking out the top.

"Wow. That is some cake." Regina said. "You certainly outdid yourself Granny.

"A layer for each of the realms." Granny explained. And everyone clapped. Granny handed her a big knife. "Would you like to do the honors?" Regina took the knife and went to cut a piece off the bottom layer, when suddenly the doors flung open and who came through was the last person they thought they'd ever see again... The Evil Queen.

"What a happy, happy day. Pitty, my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. At least I didn't miss the cake." The Evil Queen quipped as she glided toward Regina, a small retinue of what looked like lost boys behind her.

"I thought you're other half was out having some adventure with fake Robin Hood." Zelena asked. Everyone else looked on in confusion.

"Oh dear, let me be very, very clear, I'm in no way any part of her." The Evil Queen said pointing at Regina.

"Then who the hell are you?" Asked Emma.

"Ahh, the savior speaks." She hissed at her.

"You're from the Wish Realm aren't you?" Regina guessed.

"Well, at least you're not a stupid as that dress looks." The Evil Queen looked Regina up and down.

"What the hell do you want?" Regina asked.

"That's quite simple. I want you to pay." She said in an almost growl.

"Pay for what? What have I ever done to you?" Regina pushed.

"You ruined my life." She said as she leaned in threateningly. "Now I'm going to ruin yours."


	2. Chapter 2

The crowd stood stunned, whispering to each other as the scene unfolded infront of them.

"Ruined your life? What the hell did I ever do to you?" Regina asked.

"Now, now." She said, wagging her finger. "Airing our dirty laundry in front of everyone isn't very Queen like, is it? Not that it matters. Knowing won't stop me. I've been dreaming of this for a long time."

"Then why wait so long to ruin me?" Regina asked.

"Because, I was stuck in Neverland, until you oh so conveniently joined the realms one day, and suddenly, I could just walk right out." She said as she smiled devilishly. 'Well, that explains the lost boys.' Regina thought.

"The last time I saw you, you'd lost your magic." Wish Hook said.

"Well," she said lightning a fireball. "It appears I have it back." She proceeded to blow out the fireball.

"I'm sorry, haven't we already done the whole Regina fighting herself thing? Are we just reusing old story lines now?" Zelena snarked. The Evil Queen glared at her, and turned back to Regina.

"This storyline will have a very different conclusion, I promise. Because you're going to do exactly what I want." She explained.

"What makes you think that? In case you haven't noticed, you're extremely out numbered." Regina stated. The Evil Queen smiled at that.

"Am I?" She laughed a bit. "Even if that were true, it wouldn't matter, because I have leverage." She poofed a magic mirror into her hand and held it up for Regina to see, and what her eyes found confused her. There was Emma lying asleep in a very familiar looking glass coffin. She looked over at the Emma standing behind her and back at the mirror.

"What kind of trick is this?" Regina demanded.

"Oh, no trick. I have your precious savior in a place you'll never find her."

"Umm, last I checked I'm standing right here." Emma said, gesturing toward herself.

"Oh dear, no you're not...well you are, but you're not you." The Evil Queen explained.

"Come again." Emma said.

"I think this other you is a few apples short of an orchard." Zelena whispered in Regina's ear.

"Oh, this is perfect, you have no idea, do you?" The Evil Queen laughed. "It's going to make everyone so much more miserable than I'd expected when I tell you." She walked up to Emma. "This...is not your Emma. This Emma is from my realm, and this..." she held up the mirror "...belongs to you."

"Well, considering I'm Emma, I think I would know if I weren't me." Emma said.

"Apparently not dear, because you aren't." She replied.

"And we're just supposed to believe you, even though none of this makes any sense. How do we know you aren't just making all this up to get what you want?" Snow interjected. The Evil Queen snapped around to look at her.

"I could care less what you believe, you're old news, I have new fish to fry. Besides, little blonde savior isn't my only bargaining chip. I know where it is." The Evil Queen said leaning in close to Regina threateningly.

"Where what is?" Asked Hook.

"The heart." She said simply.

"Whose heart?" Inquired Charming.

"No, no, I mean 'the heart' the shiny piece of crystal that's storing all the little fragments of real hearts that hold the realms together. I know where it is, and I also know if I crush it, all of this..." she raises her hands "...crumbles to dust."

"How did you..." Regina began.

"I have my ways...Point is, I'll trade her life for yours. Do we have a deal?" She asked. She could tell she wasn't yet convinced. So she looked deep into Regina's eyes and spoke with purpose. "It's a simple choice, really. Because I know you'd rather suffer than see that pain on the people you care about. It's your fate. You're trapped."

Regina's eyes grew wide with realization. The Evil Queen was telling the truth, because she remembered those words. Words she'd said to Emma once in private. Words only she would have known.

"We aren't just going to let you take her." Snow said.

"Oh, do shut up." The Evil Queen magically sealed her lips shut and turned one last time to a still stunned Regina. "I see you're in need of some processing time. I'll tell you what, I'm feeling generous. I'll give you twenty-four hours to decide." Then she poofed out, taking her lost boys with her.

Regina only paused milliseconds to think and then poofed out right behind her, unsealing Snow's lips as she left.

"Regina!" Snow yelled the second her mouth could open.

"Where did they go?" Emma asked.

"You don't think Mom would just hand herself over do you?" Henry asked. They all looked at each other knowingly, realizing she probably would. Charmings, Mills and Jones all took off out the door, Granny and the dwarves in toe, not knowing exactly where they were going, but knowing they had to find them.

Somewhere out in the middle of the woods The Evil Queen and Regina appeared and stumbled to the ground.

"Piggybacking off someone elses magic is rude, didn't anyone ever tell you that. I knew you couldn't resist following me." The Evil Queen said as they both stood up and straightened themselves.

"I wasn't just going to let you leave without you telling me what you think I did to you." Regina said.

"What did you do? You stole her from me." She hissed.

"What?" Regina asked confused.

"Emma. I'd been trapped in Neverland for years, and one day she just fell out of the sky. I loved her, and I thought she loved me...until I tried to kiss her. She pushed me away and told me she couldn't ever love me...because I wasn't you." The Evil Queen explained as her anger rose.

"That's not possible. Emma doesn't love me." Regina said.

"'It just isn't the same.' She said. Too much history, too many memories. I might look like you, but I'm just not." She continued. She paused a moment and collected herself.

"If you really loved her, you would never hurt her." Regina said.

"Oh, I don't plan to. I only said that for the benefit of those idiots in there. You see my plan is going to get me exactly what I want...your happy ending." She began circling Regina like a vulture circling it's prey. "You see, you're going to tell everyone that you have a plan to defeat me, but you have to do it alone, then you are going to come to me tomorrow and wake Emna from the sleeping curse, then I'll kill you and take over your identity...and your life. Then Emma will be mine. When we return everyone will think you defeated me and won the day, like the hero you pretend to be."

"Why give me twenty-four hours then, why not just take me now?" She asked, trying to keep her composure.

"Well, I needed to give you time to come up with your fake plan to defeat me didn't I?" She answered. "Now if you try to deceive me, I crush the heart and everyone you love will be dead."

"The heart doesn't work that way, all it will do is sepereate the realms again." Regina corrected.

"That's what it is supposed to do, but with a little magical interference..." The Evil Queen revealed. She grinned. "See, while I was putting on my little show earlier, I kind of put a little tethering spell on everyone in the room. Now if one piece of their heart is crushed...the whole thing goes with it."

"But you still need to get to it, which is why you really gave me the extra time." Regina figured.

"Don't go getting any ideas now. There's a fail safe around Emma's coffin. If I don't lift the spell by the end of your twenty-four hours, it explodes, if you try to use magic inside the perimeter of it, it explodes, if try to enter before the allotted time..."

"Yeah, I get it, it explodes...I thought you said you wouldn't hurt her." Regina said.

"I said I didn't plan on it. But if you should betray me, I'll do what I must." She said.

"And you think that's love?" Regina asked.

"What it is, is winning." The Evil Queen pulled a peice of paper from her pocket and handed it to her. "Meet me here tomorrow. Once you get to me, the perimeter spell will start to crumble. You'll have exactly ten minutes to help me finalize my plan and then die, otherwise, Emma goes boom." Then they heard a branch crack and voices. "Your friends seemed to have found us, time for me to go. You ARE going to die tomorrow. The question is...how many people are you going to take with you?" She she laughed as she poofed away. Regina just stood there, stunned into silence.

"Regina! Regina are you okay!" Snow yelled as they approached.

"Mom! What happened? Did she hurt you?" Added Henry as he checked her over.

"I'm, I'm fine Henry." She assured.

"What did she say to you?" Zelena asked.

"Exactly what she needed to." She answered.


	3. Chapter 3

//Years Ago In The Wish Realm//

Hook had just abandoned his deal with Regina in favor of handing his ship over to Smee so he could take care of Alice, but thankfully, Smee held to the pirates code and decided to keep the deal he put in place to take her to safety from the retribution of the Charmings. Regina had other plans however, the destination she had in mind wasn't exactly what Smee thought. She fully planned on having the Jolly Roger take her to Neverland. She had heard stories of the vast amount of magic there and knew if any place could help her find a way to get her magic back, it was there, she also knew, given the history this crew had with Neverland, they wouldn't exactly be jumping at the chance to go back.

Stepping aboard with her newly purchased pirate garb, she knew she had to play along for a few hours. Smee led her to her sleeping quarters below deck where she waited for her chance.

When night fell, Regina crept top side, careful not to wake the sleeping crew. She snuck up on the lone crew member at the helm and knocked him unconscious with the brunt of his own sword that he'd carelessly left off to the side. She walked to the bow of the ship and pulled out a magic bean she'd been holing into for a rainy day. She smiled inwardly at herself and then chucked it out into the sea infront of her. As she turned to go back to the helm to steer the ship into the portal, the pirate she'd hit was getting up, her eyes grew wide as he rushed her. They struggled as she tried to break free of his grip. He backed her up against the edge and pushed her right over. She fell through the portal without the ship or the crew she'd planned on taking.

Some time later, she woke, face down, in the middle of the jungle. She sat up slowly, hand on her head, and surveyed her surroundings. There was only one thing she was sure of. She was undeniably screwed.

//A Lot Less Years Ago In The Wish Realm |  
AKA Where This Whole Mess Started//

The Split Queen wished Emma were never the Savior and she'd woken up the next morning inside her doppelgangers body, with no memory of her own life.

It wasn't until the moment wish Henry had nearly killed Regina that her own consciousness broke through and took control to save her. The other Emma, who was still in there, struggled to take her body back. All the while, Emma remained unaware. So, she attempted to go home with Regina.

When they finally stepped through the tree portal, it's magic tore Emma back apart, but left her still magically tethered to her other self. Unfortunately, the split wasn't clean due to the messy, unpredictable wish magic that was still in her. Wish Emma landed in Storybrooke, oddly still with Emma's memories, and her magic...and Emma...she fell into Neverland...right at Wish Regina's feet. No magic, but luckily still with her own mind...and her own clothes.

Regina, surrounded by lost boys, and dressed like one too, pulled a bow and arrow on the blond who now lay face down at her feet.

"Who are you and where did you come from?" She asked as Emma started to rise. Emma didn't have to turn to recognize the voice she heard. She cocked her head to the side in confusion before turning, no, it couldn't be.

"Regina?" She asked as she faced her, still on the ground.

"How do you know my name?" Regina asked.

"I uhh..." she paused and quickly tried to correct her mistake. This clearly was not her Regina. "Well, everyone knows who the Evil Queen is."

"That was a long time ago blondie, I doubt everyone in the kingdom still knows my face. Who are you really?" Regina asked, keeping her arrow taught and aimed.

"Not long enough I'd wager. They still have your face on wanted posters." Emma said, knowing that after her Regina crushed her wish parents hearts, it wouldn't be long before that statement was true. She lowered her bow a bit.

"You'll understand I can't take the chance that you're lying. Neverland, you'll learn, is a place where one mistake can mean death." She gestured to the lost boys. "Tie her up." She looked back to Emma. "A precaution until you earn my trust...or until I kill you." The lost boys did as they were told.

"Wait...no. This is really unecessary. I'm harmless...and I really just wanna go home." Emma said. Regina didn't respond. "Okay, fine, you asked for it..." Emma pulled out of their grip and tried to blast her with magic, but nothing happened." Regina laughed evily.

"You're right, you are harmless. You're also clearly insane." Regina said, amused.

"I'm not insane. That should've worked." She said looking at her hands quizzically. The lost boys grabbed her again and continued to tie her to a tree. Regina tilted her head to the side curious. Once she was completely tied up, Regina let her bow down.

"Rufio, you and the boys should get back to Pan before he suspects anything. I'm sure I can handle blondie myself for a few hours." She ordered.

"Pan? He's still alive?" Emma asked after they were gone.

"How do you know Pan? Did he send you?" Regina asked.

"No. No, he didn't send me, I just, I've heard stories..." she said. Regina keeled down and leaned in threateningly.

"What's you're name, blondie?" Regina asked.

"My name's Emma. Emma Swan. Now maybe you can stop calling me blondie." Emma replied.

"We'll see." She said with a raised eyebrow. She stood back up and went to her fire where she had some kind of meat cooking. She removed it from the fire and started eating.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up here?" Emma wondered.

"How did you?" Regina countered.

"Honestly, I'm not sure." Emma answered. Regina paused a moment, but figured it wouldn't hurt anything to tell her.

"I came here of my own accord. I wanted to find a way to restore my magic." She said.

"Clearly you haven't." Emma said.

"No. Not yet. But I'm close." Regina replied.

"Maybe we could help each other. I help you get your magic, you help me find a way home." Emma offered.

"What help could you possibly offer me?" Regina scoffed.

"Beleive me, I can be helpful..." she looked down at the ropes. "Don't let this give the wrong impression." She thought a moment and figured she'd speak to her in a way she knew Regina would respond to. At least she would if she were anything like the Regina she knew. "You have no idea what I'm capable of." And she did. Regina smiled devilishly and crept toward her. Emma wasn't sure if she'd comanded respect or if she'd just set off her attack mode. Regina glared at her for a moment trying to figure her out. After a beat she lifted the stick she had cooked her food on to Emma's face.

"Hungry Miss Swan?" She asked. The use of 'Miss Swan' threw her for a second. Did she just...? Not too mention, something in the way she was looking at her gave her the strongest case of deja vu she ever had.

"Well, unless you were planning on feeding me..." Emma started. Regina smiled. It almost seemed like she was trying to hold back a laugh. She pulled a knife and Emma jumped. She was both surprised and releived when Regina reached around her and cut her ropes. She stayed like that a second, arm around her. She brought her lips to her ear.

"If you even think about double crossing me, I'll make you beg for death." She threatened. Regina handed Emma the food and went back to the fire to grab another piece. Emma stood and tentatively sat in the other side if the fire.

"So, how exactly did you get the lost boys to work for you?" Emma asked.

"You ask a lot of questions." Regina said. "I don't even know you."

"Then why did you untie me?" Emma wondered.

"You amuse me." She replied. She took a bite of food and then looked Emma over. "I tell you, if you tell me where you're really from and why you fell out of the sky."

"I came from the Enchanted Forrest." Emna lied.

"Well then clothing styles have really changed since I left. I've never seen anything of it's like...where are you really from?" Regina pushed.

"Okay...my story for yours then." Emma said. She went on to tell her how she got there, tactfully leaving out the part where she's Snow White's daughter and the friend who tried to save her was actually another Regina. Then Regina returned the favor and told her all about how she got to Neverland and how she had turned some of the lost boys to her side. This Regina was definitely not good, but there was some bits of the Regina she knew in her. She just had to find a way to bring them out.


	4. Chapter 4

Regina burst back into the castle, family in tow. She had her fingers pressed to her temples as the questions flooded her ears.

"None of what you said adds up. Why would you go after her alone?" Asked Snow.

"Why did she have lost boys?" Asked Hook.

"More importantly why haven't you told us why she thinks you ruined her life." Asked Henry.

"Or you know...why you actually beleive that's me in that mirror...cause...well it's not." Said Emma.

"Enough!" Regina finally yelled. "Could you please slow the inquisition to one question at a time?"

"Regina, there is clearly something you aren't telling us." Snow said. Regina had done her best to explain what the other her had told her only leaving out two little details, the plan she had to steal her life and the fact that she had feelings for Emma...who may or may not feel the same in return. Apparently avoiding those two facts had also left her story rather bare. She had to give them something.

"I went alone, because she is my problem. The lost boys were with her because she was trapped in Neverland. She must have, I don't know, stole them from Pan or something. She didn't say. And as for Emma, well, she she told me something that she couldn't have known unless Emma told her." Regina explained.

"You should know by now that no problem is just yours. We are a family, and your problem is our problem." Snow said.

"Not this. This is different." Regina said.

"You think that that could really be Emma, and you think it's your problem? She's my daughter, Henry's mother." David added.

"Speaking of, what exactly did she tell you that makes you think I'm not me?" Emma asked.

"It's not important. You just need to trust me." Regina said, trying to walk away.

"Trust you? You're clearly liying to us about something." Emma said. Regina stopped and turned back. She looked Emma in the eye.

"Now I'm even more sure. The Emma I knew...she would've trusted me." Regina said.

"Mom has a point. If she says it's possible, she must have a good enough reason." Said Henry.

"It's not that we don't trust you. We're just afraid you're doing that thing you do where you take on too much because you feel like you can't ask for help." Snow said.

"Right. I mean, how could I not be me and not know it?" Emma added.

"She's right. Don't you think we would have noticed something sooner?" Hook said. "It's ridiculous. The Evil Queen is probably just trying to mess with our heads."

"She's not. I know her, I was her. She's not lying." Regina said.

"Why does she hate you?" Asked Henry.

"I don't know." She lied.

"Still lying." Emma said.

"Your superpower must be on the fritz, Emma. There's nothing more to tell." Regina said.

"I don't have a superpower, and I haven't known you nearly as long as everyone else here, but even I can tell you're keeping something from us." Ella finally piped up. Regina shook her head.

"I need time to think." She said and poofed out again.

"I hate it when she does that." said David. A few seconds later there was another poof and Regina fell down right where she'd been moments before.

"What happened?" Asked Henry, helping her up. She straightened her dress and looked up at him.

"Barrier spell. She's trapped us in the magical realms, we can't get back to Storybrooke. I tried to go back to the mansion..." Regina said. Just then Leroy came running in, full set of dwarves behind him.

"Hey sister, what's the deal? We were on our way home, and the truck crashed into an invisible wall." He bellowed.

"The Evil Queen seems to want to keep us all in one place...any idea why, your majesty?" Hook asked pointedly. Regina pursed her lips and took a deep breath. Lucy pushed around her parents.

"Is she going to try to hurt us Grandma?" She asked. Regina cupped her chin.

"I would never let that happen." She assured. She looked up at the others. "No matter what it takes."

Regina then led them all back into the party, where everyone seemed to be in a small panic, and stood up infront of them as ahe did earlier when she had accepted her crown.

"Okay everyone, I need you all to remain calm. I know you're all worried, but this is nothing we haven't overcome before. Now, it seems we're all stuck here for the night, so the best thing you can do is just settle in and let me handle it, and I promise I will not let the Evil Queen hurt anyone." She told them. She stepped down and marched back out of the room. Snow turned to follow her and ahe held up a hand as if to say 'don't follow me' and she stopped and watched her walk away, as did everyone else in the room.

Regina burst into the same spare room she had been in earlier and closed the door behind her. She placed her palms flat on a nearby table for stability. She closed her eyes and breathed in. She hated keeping things from her family, but she didn't know how else to protect them...also, she couldn't bare the thought of anyone else finding out about her feelings for Emma. Dying almost sounded like a better option. After a few moments, Zelena entered behind her. Regina groaned.

"I really should start locking doors behind me." She said as she turned toward her. Zelena ignored her comment.

"Alright, spill it sis. You might be able to shake the Charmings off the trail, but you won't stop me that easily. What aren't you telling us?" She asked.

"Nothing you need to know." She said.

"So you admit you're keeping something from us..." Zelena clarified. Regina pursed her lips and looked at her sister a moment as she thought. Without saying anything she turned and started looking around the room and rifling through drawers. "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Making sure there are no mirrors." She said. She found one mirror and a silver plated hairbrush and threw them out the window.

"That one was a hair brush." Zelena said.

"It reflects, therefore it counts as a mirror she said as she looked up. She squinted at Zelena and then poofed her necklace away.

"Hey!" She shouted.

"Reflective." She said simply shrugging. Zelena looked furious.

"Relax. I just poofed it back into your jewlery box. I can't take any chances she might try to listen in." She assured as she did the same with her own jewlery. She then took a deep breath. "Look, I can't tell the others because they would try to fix it, and there's no way out of this one. I don't want them to try to stop me."

"Stop you from what? You're not going to..." Zelena began.

"Trade my life for Emma's? Yes." She answered.

"Have you gone mad?" She asked. "You can't even be sure she really has Emma..."

"She does." Regina cut her off. "She repeted something to me that I once said to Emma when were alone, when we'd gone to New York to Look for Henry and Violet...no one else could have possibly known about that unless she told them."

"Well maybe she..." Zelena started again.

"No. Emma has changed. I thought it was just...being married," she nearly choked on the word 'married'. "...but now...there's so many things that suddenly make sense." Regina explained.

"Okay, well, even if it is Emma, that doesn't mean you have to die to save her." Zelena said.

"Yes it does. She's thought of everything. And I can't tell anyone or they're as good as dead. That's why you have to pretend you don't know, at least until Emma is safe and you have a plan to take her out without anyone else getting hurt." Regina said.

"This doesn't make sense. Why didn't she attack tonight, while you were alone?" She asked.

"Because she wants you to think I killed her, then she'll take my place." She added.

"Why the hell would she want to do that? There's something else...what would all this have to do with Emma and why does she think you ruined her life?..." Zelena wondered. Regina swallowed and looked down at the floor.

"She apparently fell in love with Emma...and Emma turned her down...because...she wasn't me." Regina said, still unbelieving of her own words.

"Well, then what's the bloody problem? She loves you, you love her...just kiss her, wake her up and take out the other you together." Zelena said.

"It's not that simple. I can't get to her without killing her, and even if I could, there's no saying my kiss would work...the only sure way to keep everyone alive is for me to give her what she wants." She explained.

"But you wouldn't be keeping everyone alive, because you wouldn't be." Zelena pointed out.

"Just promise me you'll protect everyone and find a way to stop her when I'm gone. Promise me I can count on you." Regina pleaded as she took Zelena's hands.

"I..." she began, not wanting to commit to allowing her sister to do this.

"Please." She added. Just then the door swung open and Wish Henry came in.

"The dwarves tried to break through the barrier with their pickaxes and now they can't find Happy." He said. 

"Why are dwarves always so stupid?" Regina said, rushing out of the room. Zelena remained, not sure what she should do.

"Are you going to help Zelena?" Asked Wish Henry.

"Yeah." She said sadly. "I suppose I am."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the few boring chapters, please stick around. It gets exciting soon.

It took nearly five hours for Regina and and the rest to figure out what happened to Happy and bring him back. Five of Regina's last hours alive, wasted on bringing back an idiot dwarf. Her least favorite dwarf at that. All she really wanted to do now was spend as much time with her family as she could since she only had about 16 hours left to live. She wasn't giving up...or at least that's what she told herself. She really had gone over it in her head. She simply couldn't see the flaw in the Evil Queen's plan. Well, at least not any flaw that could help her save Emma without dying. No, the only thing she could see wrong with it was the fact that much of the end result depended on her being able to wake Emma with a kiss, a kiss she was still quite positive wouldn't work. Not that it would stop the Evil Queen from stealing her life. Henry could surely wake Emma, the Evil Queen would simply have adjust her plans slightly, tweak her story a bit...and of course she wouldn't be with Emma, which was actually a releif, but she hoped it would be enough to save her life.

"Okay. Now that that's taken care of. We need to come up with a plan to beat the Evil Queen." Snow exclaimed as they re-entered the castle.

"About that, I was thinking about it while we were pulling the tiny man out of a swirling vortex and I have a plan." Regina stated, hoping her sarcastic remark would mask her lie.

"Great, let's hear it." David said. Regina looked down and away from their gaze for moment.

"You're not going to like it." She said, "But I have to go alone."

"No. Mom, we can't let you do that. We do this as a family. Like Always." Henry said.

"No. Henry, listen, if she sees anyone with me, it's over. Emma's as good as dead." Regina said.

"Again with this Emma stuff? We still can't be sure it's even her. I, for one, don't believe it." Hook said.

"Well, I never underestimate magic, but there is no way to know for sure." Snow said.

"It is hard to beleive when Emma is standing right there." David added.

"You're all mad. It's clearly a trick. Is anyone here actually sold on that being our Emma?" Hook asked.

"I am." Emma finally spoke from the back of the group. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Y...you? But you said..." Regina started.

"I know what I said, but I started thinking about it, about everything really, I never noticed before, but as I tried to focus on those memories harder...I realized something, I remember everything before the wish realm perfectly." Emma said.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Hook asked.

"Too perfectly. And worse, though I can remember feeling a certain way at the time, I don't feel it now when I think back on it. It's like I'm watching my memories on a movie screen...like...they're..." she stopped and looked directly at Regina. "...someone else's memories." Regina lookes back at her sadly. She'd already known in her gut, but having this new assurance made her heart drop into her stomach.

"But that would mean that...you're my real mom...and you don't remember me." Wish Henry said.

"I suppose it would." Emma said. Wish Henry said nothing in response but seemed to go deep into thought, confused at the new possibility.

"No. No. You're not actually buying into this lunacy?" Hook pushed.

"Look I know it might be hard to swallow..." Emma tried to explain, but was cut off.

"Hard to...you're my wife!" He began to raise his voice. Emma held up a hand.

"I am. But I'm not the Emma you thought you married." Emma turned back to face Regina. "I know it. You were right."

"So, you're telling me my daughter has been trapped in the wish realm all this time and no one noticed?" Snow said, clearly upset.

"Thanks for the recap Snow." Regina said.

"I guess we just put the slight change off to..." David trailed off as he looked at Hook.

"Oh, so this is my fault now?" Hook questioned.

"No one is blaming you." Henry said.

"Right, because if anyone is to blame..." Hook started but was cut off by Regina.

"It's me! It's my fault. It was my other half that wished her there and it was me who brought back the wrong Emma...It's my fault." Regina said and then sighed. "And that's why I need to fix it. I will go alone. She'll kill Emma for sure if anyone tries to help me. It's the only way."

"Regina stop it! It's not your fault either. And you can't go alone. She has back up and so should you." Snow said.

"Maybe her Majesty has a point. She should clean up her own messes." Hook argued.

"That is not how we do things in this family." David said and turned back to Regina. "This isn't just about you. This is our daughter. If it really is Emma, then we should be there."

"If it really is Emma, you should let me save her life instead of going and getting her killed. I got this. I promise. I won't fail her again." She assured. Zelena rolled her eyes discretely.

"Okay." Snow said.

"Really?" Reguna questioned. "Just like that?"

"If you say you can save her, then I know you will. I know you wouldn't take a chance with Emma's life on the line." She clarified.

"I would never." Regina said.

》《》《

After a few hours had passed, everyone had calmed down and had simply looked for ways to pass the time until Regina faced off with...well...herself...again.

Regina had assigned people rooms in the castle for the night since they would be stuck there until the spell was lifted. Most had gone off to them already but her family still occupied the main rooms, pacing and talking. Though they had resigned to let Regina handle it, they were still worried.

Henry, Ella and Lucy sat playing with baby Hope, while the others (save Wish Henry who sulked in the corner, still contemplating the possibility that the Emma infront of him might be his actual mother) stood talking quietly, with the occasional outburst from a still clearly upset Hook. Regina watched her son and granddaughter from the shadows, smiling at the silly faces they made at the baby to keep her from crying. Leaving them was the hardest part of all this. But knowing her death would allow Emma to return home and be with them...that was enough for her. She only wished she could be there to see it. She continued to watch them, trying to absorb as much of them as she could before her book had turned it's last page.

Zelena spotted her from across the room and quietly slipped out of the conversation. Regina didn't even notice when she came up behind her.

"There is another way you know." Zelena said, making her sister jump just a little.

"Zelena, we've been over this." Regina said.

"Yeah...and it still makes no sense to me at all." Zelena said. "They could help...I could help. We could do it together. Find a way. Isn't that what heroes do?"

"I may be good now, but I'm still not a hero. When's the last time I saved anyone? All I do is make things worse. This is the only way to save Emma. It's that simple." She said as-a-matter-of-fact. Zelena sighed. She knew her sister was just being stubborn, but she was the wrong person to beat it into her with a silly hope speech. She knew Regina would be furious, but she had to break her promise...

"Enough!" Zelena finally yelled as she took a few steps back toward the group. "She doesn't have a plan. She's gonna bloody sacrifice herself!"

"Zelena!" Regina yelled and clapped a hand over her sister's mouth while simultaneously poofing the whole group into the de-mirrored room. "Are you out of your mind!"

"Sorry Sis, but I wasn't gonna stand there and watch you march into your own oblivion." Zelena said.

"Mom, I don't understand, why would you do this?" Henry asked.

"You were just going to let us think everything was fine and then...what exactly...just serve yourself up on a silver platter to the Evil Queen?" Snow asked.

"Basically." Regina said flatly.

"But why? We can help." David said.

"Surely all of us put together can over power the Evil Queen." Emma said.

"Sure. Eventually. But can we do it before the spell she cast kills Emma...or before she kills one of you. This was the only way to save everyone." Regina reasoned.

"Except you." Lucy said sadly. Regina knelt down to her level.

"Lucy. I know it's hard to understand, but I have to do this...because It's the right thing to do." She tried to explain.

"How can dying be the right thing to do?" Lucy asked. Regina didn't evwn know how to answer without letting her feelings for Emma slip out infront of the whole room.

"It's not." Henry said. "I'm not going to get one Mom back just to lose the other. There has got to be another way."

"There's not. Why do you think I lied to you all? If I thought there was even the slightest chance to make it out of this without dying I would have told you, but I don't see it." She explained.

"You don't, but maybe we might." Snow said. "Tell us everything and we will figure out a plan together. As a family." Regina looked around the room to nods of agreement.

So she sucked in a deep breath and told them everything...well...almost everything...her feelings for Emma still remained unrevealed.


	6. Chapter 6

//Some time ago in Wish Realm Neverland//

Emma and Wish Regina we're running through the forest, lost boys hot on their tail. Every so often and arrow would whiz by, missing them by inches.

"Great plan, your Majesty." Emma snipped as she tried not to trip over the branches on the ground.

"It would have been if you had any idea how to follow instructions. I should have left you tied to that tree." she snipped back. Emma rolled her eyes as she tried to catch up.

"I thought these kids were your friends!" Emma yelled ahead as Regina gained a few more steps on her.

"Not all of them!" she yelled back.

"We'll never out run them. Those arrows are getting closer every time." Emma said.

"You're right, we won't...hold on!" she said.

"Hold on to what?" Emma asked.

"Just hold on..." Regina said as she stopped, turned around and grabbed Emma's arm in one fluid motion, pulling her down.

"What are you..." Emma never got a chance to finish because the next thing she knew, she was falling. The ground had seemingly just vanished from under them. After a moment, they landed with a thud, Emma partially on top of Regina. Regina groaned and pushed Emma off. They laid their on their backs a moment in silence, until Regina back handed her with a glove. It made a slapping noise that might have been funny in a different situation.

"Idiot." she deadpanned without even looking or moving.

"I'm the idiot? I'm not the one who just threw us into a hole in the ground." she spit back, also not moving.

"I just saved your ass, a thank you would be nice." she replied.

"I'll try to remember to thank you once I can breath again." she said sarcastically. They stared up in silence for a moment.

"I almost had him." Regina said quietly.

"What?" Emma asked, surprised by her sudden change in tone.

"I was so close to capturing Pan, I could have finally been rid of this place...and now...now he'll be more ready for me than ever. I exposed myself. I don't think I'll ever get that close again." she explained. "Without his powers... I'm stuck here."

"I'm stuck here too." she sympathized as she finally moved to lean on her arm and look over at Regina.

"Yeah, but you just got here." she said mirroring Emma's position. "Me... I've been here for 35 years. So don't pretend you understand." she struggled a bit and stood, brushing the dirt off herself. Emma followed suit. Emma came up behind her and put a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, you're right... that's...a really long time." Emma said. Regina didn't move.

"When I first got here, all I wanted was revenge, but now...all I want is to get out of this...prison." she said. Emma was caught off gaurd. In all the time she'd been stuck in Neverland with this other Regina, she'd never divulged anything resembling feelings. It was always just facts and sarcasm, and the occasional insult.

"We will. You just gotta have hope." Emma said.

"For me, hope has always been a four letter word. It's only ever made things worse." Regina said. She then realized Emma was staring at her and it made her self conscious about the truth she just let slip. She subtly, but not without notice, pulled her arm away from Emma's touch. "Is there a problem?" she asked defensively.

"What?" Emma said, snapping out of her trance.

"You were staring at me." Regina explained.

"Oh, sorry. It's just....you remind me of someone I know." she said. The longer Emma spent with this Regina, the more the lines began to blur between her and the Regina she'd come to think of as family. She wasn't exactly the same, but there were some similarities there that we're so strong she could swear her Regina was standing in front of her.

"Does that person also think you're an idiot." Regina asked.

"Most of the time." Emma said frankly. Then, despite her instincts, Regina laughed. It was a small laugh, but it meant much more than what one could see on the surface. Emma had made a crack in her wall.

"So who is it? This person I remind you of." Regina asked.

"She's uh...the woman who adopted my son." Emma had told her everything already, well at least the shorthand of it, being careful to leave out all the elements of the curse and anything that might give away her true identity.

"Renee right?" Regina asked, recalling what Emma had told her.

"Right." Emma said, trying not to cringe at it. She'd almost called her Regina in her story and had to correct it midway through. It was the first thing that popped into her head.

"You must hate me then." she said.

"I don't hate her at all, or you." she replied.

"You told me she tried to poison you." she said.

"Yeah well, nobody's perfect." Emma said.

"You forgave her?" Regina asked, not really believing.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, and she earned it...and then some." Emma explained.

"Not everyone is as forgiving as you." Regina said.

"No, but not everyone needs to be. You only need to find one." Emma said.

"And this Renee, she's your friend now?" Regina asked.

"My family." she corrected.

"Your son?" she wondered.

"We're both his mother." she said. Regina lifted an eyebrow. "Not like that." she cast off the idea.

"Right." Regina was unconvinced.

"So how do we get out of here?" Emma changed the subject.

"We don't. The only way out is the way we came in. Rufio uses this as a hiding place from Pan, he takes the ladder with him when he leaves." Regina informed.

"What! So we're just stuck down here!" Emma started to panic.

"Relax. It's just until morning. I left him a message. He'll get us out." Regina said. She went into a corner and pulled out a large box. She opened it and pulled out some blankets and a flint to start a fire with. She tossed Emma a blanket. "Might want to get comfortable." Emma grunted. She made a spot for herself in the least rocky part of the hole she could find while Regina lit the fire. After Emma laid down Regina laid her blanket right next to hers. Emma looked over confused. "It's gonna get cold down here." she said. Emma said nothing, not sure if she even minded.


	7. Chapter 7

Regina had pulled everyone into the room with no mirrors in it, to explain the Evil Queen's plan to everyone as she had explained it to Zelena earlier.

"Now you understand why I can't let you help? If you try, she will kill all of you by crushing the crystal heart that holds these realms together. There is no way out of it." Regina finished. She could see Snow thinking.

"But she doesn't have the heart yet?" she asked.

"I don't think so, but she will know if we go after it." Regina said.

"Not if we time it right." said David. "What if we wait until just before you have to go meet her. She can't be in two places at once, she's sure to send her lost boys after the heart while she faces off against you. I doubt she'll go to it before then, otherwise how will she be watching the castle closely enough to know if we try to get it ourselves or go to our Emma? Plus, it would give away her lie."

"So we go after the heart at the same time, so that she'll be so distracted fighting Regina, she won't be able to stop us from getting to the heart before her lost boys." Emma figured. David nodded.

"You won't even have to win, just distract her long enough to get the heart and then we come rushing in to help you." David added.

"She'll just blow up the cave and kill Emma." Regina explained.

"Not if we sneak around from behind the cave, no magic, and get her out while you're still distracting her." Snow said.

"That's a lot of distracting. How am I supposed to keep her attention that long?" Regina asked.

"She's you, basically. Her vengeance should be enough to keep her busy." Hook snarled. She winced as a part of her felt her was right.

"Are you all not listening? The magic will keep you out. None of these ideas will work. I'm the only one who can enter and only for a short window of time before it closes again and then explodes if I don't do what she wants." Regina explained once again. "Even if I somehow get to her, how do I get her out?"

"You won't have to. She'll be awake." Lucy said from behind the group. Everyone turned to see her sitting on the floor, the storybook wide open.

"Lucy what do you mean? You know how sleeping curses work." Jacinda asked.

"I know. True love's kiss will wake her. That's why grandma is the only one who can save her." Lucy said.

"Lucy what..." Regina began, but Lucy stopped her.

"I can't believe no one figured it out. It's all right here." she said standing and holding the book out to a specific page. Regina took it. Remember what Rumple said when you and Emma went to him for the true love potion?" she pointed to a passage on the page.

"That's the thing about true love, dearie. It can slip through your fingers. It's the most powerful magic in the world, the only magic powerful enough to break any curse. It must be protected at all costs." Regina read as she recalled the day.

"The most powerful magic? I read about all the times you and Grandma combined your magic. You did things no one else could do." Lucy said.

"Lucy that's not..." Regina started again, but Lucy flipped to another page that had a illustration of her and Emma using their magic to open the magically locked door in the underworld.

"And look." Lucy said pointing to it.

"Look at what?" she asked, as the rest looked on curiously.

"Your magic." she clarified.

"What about it?" she wondered.

"Look at what it looks like." she said and flipped back to a much earlier page. Regina looked at it confused and looked back at Lucy with a questioning glare. "Rumple's true love potion. Look familiar?"

Regina stared at the page a moment, red and white beams of light intertwined stared back at her. She swallowed hard. Could it be...

"Okay Lucy we don't have time for this. I think it's time to go to bed now anyway." Jacinda said while trying to close the book. She mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Regina and started to usher Lucy out of the room.

"But Mom, you don't understand...." Lucy began as the door shut behind them and they could no longer be heard. The room was in an awkward silence for a moment. Everyone's eyes were on Regina, except Hooks.

"Your daughter has a mighty wild imagination doesn't she, Mate?" Hook said looking at Henry. Regina looked at him knowing he was probably right.

"I knew it!" Snow exclaimed. Everyone turned their head toward her.

"What?" Regina asked as her voice cracked a bit. Snow realized she hadn't said that in her head as she'd thought.

"Can you all just excuse us a minute." she said trying to make most of their gathered family leave the room as Regina looked on confused. There were a few murmurs of protest but Snow ignored them and continued to usher them out.

"What do you mean you knew?" Regina finally asked once everyone was gone, save David and Henry.

"You...and Emma, I had a feeling..." Snow began. David looked on but Henry picked up the book and started flipping through it.

"There's is no me and Emma..." she began but then it hit her... "What do you mean, you knew?" Regina asked.

"Oh come on Regina...the way you look at her, the way you worry about her..." Snow clarified while Henry was still deep into the story book.

"I don't...." Regina started.

"Yes you do. It's fairly obvious." Snow told her.

"If it's so obvious then why didn't you ever say anything?" Regina asked.

"Well, at first I felt it wasn't my business, and then you had Robin and she had Hook and I thought maybe I had just been imagining things...but even then, every once in a while I'd think..." Snow explained.

"Well, you were imagining things. There's nothing between us." Regina replied sadly.

"You're expression says otherwise." David piped up.

"Enough. This is ridiculous." She sighed.

"Mom. They have a point." Henry finally said looking up from the book.

"Not you too." she said. He held out the book to another page. Her and Emma stopping the trigger together.

"I was just a kid, I didn't see it...but looking at it all now...Mom, it all sort of just fits." Henry said as Regina took the book and looked at the page. She shook her head and put the book down.

"Even if I did...have... feelings for Emma...and I'm not saying I do...who says she feels the same." Regina's facade was slowly breaking down.

"Regina, all the time you were looking at her...she was looking right back at you." Snow said. She looked at Henry, desperate for a way out of the corner she'd been backed into. He only nodded in agreement. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Regina" Snow said as he took a step forward and took her hand. "It's okay to admit it." she assured. "You love her."

Regina's eyes misted and all she could do was nod in affirmation.


	8. Chapter 8

"Well, this changes everything. The plan is obvious now." Snow said. Regina shook her head, confused.

"What do you mean?" She wondered.

"Well, you just go and wake up Emma and then you can take down the Evil Queen together. Your magic combined should be more than enough to defeat her."

"Hold on! Just because I admitted my feelings for Emma, doesn't mean she feels the same. And even if she did by some miracle...doesn't make it true love." Regina said.

"The Evil Queen seems to think so, there must be a reason for that." David said.

"She's just mad that...Emma doesn't love her back. She's looking for someone to take it out on." Regina explained.

"Or...Emma gave her reason to think she loves you too." Snow countered.

"How can you seem like it's so simple and obvious?" Regina asked.

"Maybe it should be." David said.

"What does that mean?" Regina asked.

"It means maybe we should go and give you some time to figure it out. Besides, we have a long day ahead of us. We should all rest." David answered as he laid a hand on her shoulder for a moment and then walked towards the door. Snow gave her a knowing look and followed after him.

She watched the door as it closed behind them and continued long after. She wanted to believe it. She really did, but she also knew she shouldn't, because if she was wrong...she couldn't take it.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

It was less than an hour until the time Regina was supposed to go to meet the Evil Queen and she was still hold up in her room and hadn't come out, not had she let anyone in since Snow and David had left. Everyone was bustling around preparing for a fight, wondering where their fearless leader had gone.

"Is Regina still locked in her room?" David asked Snow. She nodded. "We're running out of time, she needs to get out here or we already lost."

"Maybe Henry can get her to come out, make her understand..." Snow started.

"That won't be necessary." Regina interrupted from behind. She was dressed for a fight.

"You finally believe." Snow said.

"Not exactly." She said. "But, I do know Emma is out there, and we need to save her. I don't know how I'm gonna get her out of that cave once I'm there...but I have to try." She explained. Snow smiled.

Just then, a loud thunderous roar came from outside, followed by the entire castle shaking.

"What the hell was that?" Wondered Regina. Her and the Charmings rushed to the balcony and looked out. A dark shadow passed over as they looked up, a stream of fire nearly grazed them.

"Is that..." Snow started. But was interrupted from a voice behind her.

"Me. That's me." Said the voice. They turned to see Maleficent. Lily, Ursula, Tinkerbell, Drizella and Anastasia were standing behind her. "Or wish realm me anyway."

"We heard you needed some help." Said Drizella. Regina stepped closer to her. "I still have a lot of redemption to earn." Regina nodded in understanding.

"Looks like Mal isn't the only wish realm baddie The Queen brought along." Ursula said as she stepped up to the balcony. "Look." She said pointing. Regina stepped up to look.

"Zelena?" She said.

"You rang?" Zelena said as she poofed in. "What are we all looking at?" She looked over. "Bloody hell...looks like I brought some friends with me as well." She added as she noticed a large group emerging from the forest behind wish Zelena. "My army from OZ."

"She knows." Regina said. Everyone turned to look at her. "The Evil Queen knows I told you...This is plan B."

"But how..." Snow began.

'There's no time to figure that out." Zelena said.

"Mom. What's going on?' Henry asked as he and the others ran into the room. The castle shook a little with a blast from Wish Maleficent hitting close by.

"Our time line has moved up a bit is what's going on." Zelena said. Regina started shaking her head.

"No way. If she knows, that means she'll be waiting for me. She's never gonna let me anywhere near Emma now." She said.

"Regina you have to. No one else stands a chance." Snow said.

"But there's a dragon out there..." She said.

"There's a dragon in here too dear." Maleficent said.

"We'll hold off the army, while you take care of the Queen." Zelena added. The others nodded.

"But how..." Regina started.

"You do what only you can...Get on a horse and ride as fast as you can. The only chance you have is to get there before she does." Snow said, pushing her toward the door.

"I can't..." She began to protest.

"Yes. You can. You can ride faster than anyone I know. You did it to save me once...now it's time to do the same for Emma." Snow said. Regina took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. Another flame flew by the window.

"I guess that's my queue." Mal said as she made her way to the balcony where she changed and flew off after herself.

"Right behind you mom." Said Lily, who followed after. Regina looked hesitant.

"You've been good for awhile now Regina, but you've been a player in other people's stories. This time you're the hero. You can do this." Snow encouraged. Regina nodded.

Everyone else quickly made their way out to the front gate. Regina stood outside infront of everyone and gave out orders.

"Jacinda, you take Lucy and hold down the castle. Watch after all the women and children. Tink and Drizella take the south gate, Ursula take the north. Dwarves you lead the foot soldiers down to the front lines, Blue will cover your backs with the other fairies. Snow, Robin and Granny man the walls, Zelena can stay here and hold the main gate with Emma." She said as everyone ran off to where they belonged. David stopped her just before getting on the waiting horse at the gate.

"There's something I want you to have." He said as he pulled out his sword and handed it to her.

"Your sword?" She said, confused.

"This sword was meant to protect my family." He said. She nodded in understanding. She put it on her belt and turned back to her horse.

"Wait!" Zelena said. "One more thing." She held up her hands and suddenly her brown horse was white and her black leathers were also white and... sparkly.. and she had a gold cape. It almost resembled David's red jacket.

"Zelena..." Regina began, annoyed.

"What? The hero can't save the princess without her white horse." She replied.

"Just because I'm a good now, doesn't mean I have to dress like an idiot." Regina said.

"Hey." David said, mildly insulted.

"Sorry. It's not that bad really." Regina said, but turned to Zelena to mouth "Yes it is."

Regina was just about to poof herself a new outfit when the ground shook. "Whoops. No time for a wardrobe change now sis. I believe that's our signal." Zelena said as she pushed her up onto the horse. She trotted up towards the gate and David and Henry stood behind her, swords drawn.

"Don't worry Mom. We've got your back." Henry said. David nodded as Wish Hook joined them.

"Me too Love." He said.

"And me." Said Hook came up next to him.

"You?" She asked confused.

"Just because I don't believe it's my Emma out there, doesn't mean I'm gonna stand by while some Lost boys tear you to bits on the way to save her...your majesty." He said.

"Coast is clear!" Snow yelled from the wall.

"Same here Aunt Regina!" Robin yelled from the other side. Regina turned to face the gate.

"Open the gate!" Regina yelled, and gripped the reins tightly, preparing for the ride of her life.


	9. Chapter 9

//Some time ago in Wish Realm Neverland//

It was a warm morning and Emma was just waking up. Some days she would almost forget for a moment where she was. Today was one of those days. For some reason the dirt and foliage that made up her sleeping space didn't feel so uncomfortable for once. Emma rolled over and groaned as the sunlight hit her in the face. Her eyes blinked a few times as the realization sunk in. She looked down at her new clothes that Regina had convinced her were necessary in order to hide from the lost boys in the thick jungle. Her red jacket was far too obvious amungst the greenery. She'd insisted she should get rid of it, but Emma had taken to keeping it in a satchel on her back. Regina had made several pointed remarks about the unecessary weight. She rolled her eyes at the memory and sat up to see Regina wasn't in her usual sleeping place a few feet from her. She stood when she realized she didn't see her anywhere at all.

Emma checked the perimeter and still didn't see her so she decided to check the lake to see if she'd gone to replenish their water supply. As she got closer to the water she started to call for her. She said her name 3 or 4 times before she got close to the lake.

"Regina! Where are y..." she stopped dead in her tracks when she realized she'd found her. Emma had gone mute momentarily. There she was...in the lake... without her clothes. Her mouth hung open for a second, unsure how to process what she was seeing. After a beat her brain caught up with her eyes and she quickly averted her eyes.

"Regina what...I mean, why would you take off like that and leave me sleeping out in the open without waking me up? What if the lost boys had attacked me?" Emma questioned as she looked at the ground. Regina chucked as she ran a hand through her wet hair.

"Don't be a baby. Before you got here, I woke up every day by myself and no one ever attacked me in my sleep." Regina said.

"Yeah, well you hadn't pissed them off yet." Emma pointed out. Regina grinned.

"Stop whining and get in the water Blondie." she said. Emma's eyes grew wide for a second.

"I...umm." Emma asked.

"Do you not know how to swim?" Regina asked.

"Of course I do." Emma said.

"Then what's the problem? The water isn't cold or anything..." Regina paused noticing the look on Emma's face and decided to have some fun with it. "I don't bite...I mean...unless you want me too." she smirked.

"I, I'm just not in the mood for a swim." Emma tried to cover.

"What are you worried about?" Regina asked.

"Nothing. I just don't feel like it, that's all." Emma said. Regina smirked and swam up to the shore. She looked up at Emma with an evil grin.

"Oh, I think you are." She said, and splashed Emma playfully. Emma was now soaked through.

"Regina! What the hell!" she yelled. Regina laughed.

"It's only a little water." Regina said. "Might as well get in now... you're gonna have to dry those clothes anyway."

"Why can't you just take a hint?" Emma said, only mildly angry. She was more focused on being confused. Was Regina really flirting with her?

"Oh come on, since when were swans afraid of a swim?" Regina continued to tease her. She was right though. Emma knew she couldn't stay in the wet clothes...and she wasn't about to just sit there in the open with nothing on while they dried.

"Fine." Emma grunted.

"Relax, I'll turn around." Regina said. She smiled and spun in the water. "There. Okay?" Emma tentatively started peeling off the wet layers. She hung them up on a nearby tree. As she did this Regina discreetly tried to sneek a peek. She only got a small look before Emma turned back around. She smirked proudly at herself. Emma then lowered herself in the water.

"Ok." she said when she felt she was submerged enough not to be seen. Regina turned around.

"See. I haven't attacked you have I?" Regina said as she moved a little closer to her. Emma tried to back up a little instinctively. Regina shook her head. "You really need to loosen up."

"I'm... I'm loose." Emma stammered. Clearly not loose.

"Okay." Regina said, sarcasm dripping from her lips. "We'll see about that." She said and then splashed her again.

"Regina, quit it." Emma spat.

"Or what?" She goaded as she got in Emma's face. Emma leaned in threateningly.

"Or this..." she said, squirting water directly in her face.

"That was a mistake." Regina said and then dipped into the water to pull Emma under. They quickly resurfaced, Emma spitting out a mouthful of water.

"Oh, that's it, Queenie. It's on." Emma said. The water started flying then and all of the sudden Emma forgot there was a very naked Regina in front of her. All she could really see at the moment was water anyway.  
The awkwardness from moments ago had gone by the wayside.

The water war continued for a few moments until they had to stop for fear drowning themselves. They laughed a little.

"Okay, you were right, I did need to loosen up...thanks." Emma said.

"I think I needed it too." Regina was really close now. Regina started to lean forward but Emma jumped backwards a little.

"I think we should go find some breakfast. I'm starving...are you hungry?" she said as she swam toward the shore. She stopped when she got there and turned back around. "Um...Would you mind..." she said gesturing that she turn around. Regina rolled her eyes and turned around dramatically. Emma quickly got out of the water and grabbed her still kind of wet clothes. As she put them back on with some difficulty, Regina attempted to peek over her shoulder a few times. She smiled inwardly at herself. Once Emma was dressed, Regina turned back around. Emma made a few squishy shounds as she walked. Regina snickered.

"Still a little damp huh?" Regina said sarcastically. Emma looked down at her clothes awkwardly.

"Nope." She tried to deny. "They're fine." she walked away. Back towards camp...still squishing. Regina laughed again. Louder this time. Regina got out and put her clothes on quickly and followed after Emma.

"Emma...Emma...wait!" she said as she caught up to her.

"What!" she said as. she turned with another loud squish. Regina laughed again inspire of herself. "You know what, that's enough..."

"No, no. I'm sorry..." she said, trying to hold it in.

"It's not funny Reg..." Emma stopped mid sentence when she heard a strange noise. "Did you hear that?"

"That old truck isn't gonna work with me." Regina said.

"It's not a trick, listen." She directed. Regina heard it then too. They ran toward the noise and stopped just behind a large bunch of bushes and Regina crouched down behind them, yanking Emma down next to her. They peered through the bushes to see a swirling ring of light.

"A portal?" Emma wondered. Regina gave an affirmative look and turned her attention back toward the flaming circle. when a very familiar scaly green face appeared. "It can't be..." Emma started. Regina's eye's grew wide and then angry.

"Rumpelstiltskin." she growled.


	10. Chapter 10

Regina took a deep breath as David, Henry and Hook times two, mounted horses behind her. Snow, Granny and Robin stood on the wall, bows aimed, as the gate slowly opened. Snow scanned the area with her eyes and signaled that the coast was clear. Regina nodded back and gripped the reins tight as she could. She clicked her tounge to cue her horse to go. She didn't even get fifty feet before the lost boys finally decided to emerge from the woods. One swung out of a tree toward Regina. Snow shot an arrow straight through his rope knocking him to the ground. A group ran out screaming at Henry and the others as arrows started flying toward Regina, slowing her a bit. She heard a horse whinny and then a thud. She tried not too, but she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Henry was on the ground, an arrow in his shoulder, being rushed by lost boys. Regina yelled out his name in terror and was about to turn and race back toward him when David knocked the one on top of him out.

"Go!" David yelled to her. She didn't move. Frozen in fear for her son. Henry sat up and pulled out the arrow.

"Mom! I'm fine! Go!...Go!" He yelled. Regina. snapped out of her trance and realized there was only one way to stop this. She squeezed the reins and took off at top speed, dodging trees as the occasional arrow whizzed by her head.

As she neared the cave, she began to think perhaps, she might just make it. Surely the Evil Queen would have at least tried to stop her by now if she was going to at all.

She had been riding for some time. She was so close now she could almost taste it. Just as the cave came into view, her horse got spooked and stopped short. She tried to get it to start moving again, but it stubbornly refused, and as Regina tried to calm him, a familiar puff of purple smoke appeared, followed by an equally familiar evil laugh. The horse reared up, sending Regina to the ground.

The Evil Queen circled as Regina tried to get up off the ground and shake it off. She stumbled a bit, forcing herself up even though her body wasn't quite ready.

"How pathetic. Do you really think you can beat me? Don't you realize you've already lost. Your plan failed. I caught you...And now I'm angry. So all you've done is make it worse for yourself. Because now I have to kill your family. I was going to spare them, but they know too much. So be a good little puppet and go wake Emma so I can kill you." The Evil Queen practically snarled. Regina then found the strength she needed to stand strong. She straightened up and squared her shoulders.

"No... I'm a hero now And I won't let you hurt anyone." she said. Still not entirely sold on her own words. "And heroes always win. You're the one who's already lost."

The Evil Queen laughed. "You think you're a hero? Just because you've gone soft, doesn't make you some champion of the people."

"You think I'm so soft, then fight me and prove it." Regina said as she formed a fire ball and threw it. The Evil Queen deflected it quickly.

"Nuh uh uh." she taunted as she wagged a finger at Regina. She reached back and waved her hand around revealing a force field of sorts."Wouldn't want a stray fireball to set off the spell and turn your little blond savior to Ash, now would you?" Regina's nostrils flared in anger.

"Fine by me. I'll just have to beat you the old fashioned way." Regina said as she drew Charming's sword.

"I was wrong. You haven't grown soft, you've grown stupid." The Evil Queen poofed herself a sword as well. "When you lose... I'll be sure to kill your son first." That set Regina off and she charged. Screaming as she swung the blade at her face. Wish Queen dodged the blow and raised her sword to clang against it. They stood, swords crossed inches from each other's faces, pushing against each other.

"Don't you dare even talk about him again or I will end you." Regina threatened.

"Tisk, tisk. That's doesn't sound very hero like." She replied and then pushed her back. Their swords began furiously clashing together. They met each other swing for swing. Neither gaining any ground over the other for quite some time until Regina stepped backward onto a rock. and stumbled just enough for her Evil counterpart to exact the smallest cut across her upper arm. This made Regina angry and she realized she had to do something to gain the upper hand or she would be fighting herself forever. And then it struck her, thanks to the Evil Queen she knew exactly where the barrier to the spell was, and yes it might not be safe to throw magic around, but if she used magic she could more easily control, she could keep it away from the barrier. And suddenly a lightbulb went off in her head and she looked up at Wish Regina and grinned as she lit her sword up with a purple glow. The Evil Queen tilted her head. "That's new." she said.

"A little something I learned from watching too many Star Wars movies with my son." Regina said.

"I like it." Wish Regina replied with a grin and replicated Regina's spell with a red glow.

"Of course it's red." Regina mumbled sarcastically to herself. The Evil Queen rushed her and the red and purple lights met with a sizzle. Regina could hear the battle back at the castle raging behind them as the steel and light met over and over. She knew she needed to get Emma out of that cave fast and get back to Henry and their family. They needed help. There was a loud roar and a flash in the distance. Regina looked up to see Maleficent fall out of the sky...the one on her side. The Evil Queen laughed.

"I wonder how many of your people my dragon will be able to roast now." she teased. Regina had enough. She charged her again. She went at her with everything she had. Their swords clashed a few times, but Regina's anger seemed to get the better of her and she didn't see the Evil Queen's sword dip in time to block it. She tried to move out of it's path but she fell backwards, landing on her back, her sword landing just out of her reach. The Evil Queen immediately took advantage of her fall and mounted Regina placing her blade at her throat as it's light slowly disappeared.

"I told you you couldn't beat me." she she said, her face only inches from Regina's. "You should have just done as you were told then your kingdom wouldn't be falling and family would be safe. Now they can all die with you." She threatened.

"Do you really think Emma will be with you if you kill everyone?" Regina said.

"She won't be with me... she'll be with you...or at least that's what she'll think. And she'll feel so bad for me when I tell her the sad story about how I tried so hard, but I just couldn't save them. It's all my fault." she said, over dramatising the last part for effect. Then she laughed...and everything went dark.

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

//Previously...

"Do you really think Emma will be with you if you kill everyone?" Regina said.

"She won't be with me... she'll be with you...or at least that's what she'll think. And she'll feel so bad for me when I tell her the sad story about how I tried so hard, but I just couldn't save them. It's all my fault." she said, over dramatising the last part for effect. Then she laughed...and everything went dark...//

\-----------------------------------------------------------

As The Evil Queen was explaining her plan, Regina had been able to wiggle her hand free just enough to zap her with a small magic bolt. The Evil Queen went limp on top of Regina and rolled off to the side, unconscious. Regina pushed her away and stood, dusting herself off. She picked up David's sword and quickly ran into the cave.

Once Regina got to the entrance she slowed her pace and carefully padded through just in case there were any additional traps that had been set for her. As she neared the end she could see a light shining from the depths of the cavern. She knew that must be where Emma was. She quickly made her way towards it. When she got to the archway she finally spotted it. The glass coffin. Her heart stopped for a moment as she laid eyes on Emma. Still as can be, save for the slight rise and fall of her chest, diminished by the sleeping curse. She smiled inwardly at first and then the fear kicked in. She put one hand over her heart and one on the wall of the cave to brace herself. This was it... there she was, golden curls framing her face and adorned in an all too familiar red leather jacket. Suddenly, faced with the reality that she would now know for sure one way or the other if Emma loved her back was almost too much for her. What if she didn't? What if she couldn't wake her? Her heart surely couldn't take it...but strangely enough... she wasn't sure if she could take it if she did either. All those years of denial were too strongly engrained into her to just turn it off. It was just like that tavern in the enchanted forest all over again. Why did she always do this to herself? She was sure she was doomed to be miserable forever due to nothing but her own mental anguish. But she knew she couldn't wait any longer or the spell would start collapsing. She took a deep breath and just as she was about to step forward she felt a sharp pain in her lower back and she dropped to her knees. She looked down just in time to see the tip of a blade retreat back into her. She'd been stabbed. Her arm went back to the wall to try and stop herself from falling as the Evil Queen circled around to the front so she could be seen.

"You should have killed me." she said as she bent down to speak into Regina's ear. She stood and backed up. Regina could see the burn mark from where she zapped her showing through the spot burnt into her clothing. The same place she'd just been stabbed through. Poetic justice. "So pathetic. You really thought you could win. You thought you could be a hero. You're problem is you still think like a villain, but no longer have the darkness to pull it off."

"Fine. You win. You defeated me, but please...just let Emma go. It's me you hate, not her, so please get her out of here." Regina struggled over every word. The Evil Queen laughed.

"No. You've done too much damage to my plan. If I save Emma. She'll never stop until she gets revenge on me for killing you. Now I have to let her die to save myself. You should have just done as you were told. You only have yourself to blame." she explained.

"Was I ever really this self-righteous?" Regina asked sarcastically. Before she could answer the cave started to rumble. It was too late. The Evil Queen stepped over to Emma and put a hand on her face.

"I'm sorry it had to end like this Emma. We could have been great together, but you threw it all away." she said while stroking her cheek. Regina saw red. How dare she. Regina knew she couldn't allow this to happen. But what could she do? She couldn't even stand. Snow had called her the hero of this story, but how could that be when she'd already failed. Those two idiots had trusted her with Emma's life and she'd failed... idiots...maybe that was the problem after all, she needed to think like a hero and heroes do idiotic things to win. She needed to take a risk. What else did she have to lose?

"Take your hands off of her." Regina growled.

"Or what?" The Evil Queen shot back.

"Or this..." Regina said as she tried to balance herself enough to raise her hand from the wall as bits of rock started to fall down around her.

"What are you doing?" The Evil Queen asked, worried.

"Something stupid." She replied simply.

"No!" The Evil Queen cried out just as she realized what she was about to do. Regina waved her hand and attempted to poof herself and Emma out of the cave.

The explosion followed almost immediately, shaking the ground around the cave all the way back to the castle where the battle raged on. The rumbling stopped Snow, David and Henry in their tracks. They stopped fighting and looked up to see the puff of Smoke off in the distance. They were frozen for a moment, not quite registering what had just happened.

"Did that come from the cave?" Henry asked, breaking the silence.

"No...It can't be" Snow said. "If it did that means..." she trailed off.

"It means Regina failed and they're..." David began to answer but couldn't bring himself to finish.

"No." Henry said. Snow went to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, a tear fell from her eye. "Moms." he whispered in quiet pain as Snow wrapped her arms around him and David joined at Snow's side.....

//To be continued.....//


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I usually do two chapters present and one past as a pattern but I felt like the last one ended off in a weird place not to continue. Also, the beginning of this chapter starts off a little strange but stick with me and you won't be disappointed.

Pain. That was the only thing that registered in Regina's mind as she slowly came to, her face in the ground. Her eyes flickered a few times as she turned her head and opened them. She struggled to push herself up off the ground, but only managed to sit up. She was in a dark place. She could see nothing but black.

"Emma!" She cried. "Emma!" It's not as though she could answer even if she was there, and she was sure she wasn't. Wherever here was anyway. There was a small gust of wind and a feather floated in on it and fell in front of her. She looked at it quizzically.

"Hello Regina." She heard from the darkness. She looked up as someone began to materialize in front of her. She squinted.

"Robin?" she asked.

"It's me Regina." he confirmed.

"What are you doing here? Where is here... where's Emma?" she asked.

"She's not here, but then again... neither are you." he said.

"I don't understand." she said.

"I'm here to help." he told her.

"Help? Why? I don't deserve your help. You're dead because of me...and I didn't even..." she trailed off.

"You didn't love me." he finished.

"No. No. I did.... I just..." she tried again.

"Loved her more...? Regina, it's okay." he added. She nodded.

"I'm so sorry. If I'd only been honest with myself, you'd be alive right now." she said.

"But you wouldn't be." he said.

"Maybe that's what I deserve. I got you killed and now Emma...It should have been me. It would have made everyone's lives easier." she explained.

"Regina, none of this is your fault. If I had known then, I would have still saved you." he said.

"But why?" she wondered.

"Because the realms need you, more than you even know? I did what was required, and now so must you..." he said.

"And what's that?" she asked.

"You need to wake up." he said.

"I....."

"Emma needs you. Wake up...Wake up!" he kept repeating it as his voice got more distant and it became even darker. She passed out and her eyes sprung back open, and when they did she was outside.

The dust was still settling around her and she could see the cave not too far away, but far enough not to have fallen on her. She couldn't move. Her head was spinning and her ears were ringing.

"You have to get up Regina." she could still hear Robin's voice. "Get up!"

She struggled to lift her head and look around. She spotted Emma a couple of yards away.

"Emma." she whispered. She was relieved at first, knowing she'd gotten her out before the explosion until she realized she was banged up pretty badly. She needed to get to her. She needed to wake her or she wouldn't make it. She used all of her strength to roll over and crawl to Emma. She sat as best she could and leaned over Emma, looking down at her when she heard a noise from behind her. It was the Evil Queen limping toward her, torn up from the blast. She raised her hand to cast a spell, but Regina beat her to it. She waived her hand and The Evil Queen shrunk down and a small snow globe was left sitting on the ground.

"A little something I learned from your Rumple." she said. She turned back to Emma. She tentatively put a hand on her cheek, fearing it would be the only chance she would ever have.

"Please." she said simply. "Please wake up."

She squeezed her eyes tight for a second and took a deep breath. She leaned in painfully slow, unable to will herself to go in at a normal pace. She hovered a hairs width above Emma's face for a moment before placing a feather light kiss on her lips. When nothing happened immediately, her heart stopped and she took a sharp breath in. It hadn't worked...it hadn't...but then the brightest most colorful rainbow she'd ever seen burst out sweeping through the forest. As she looked up at it she could see it was nothing like she'd ever experienced before. She stared after it in awe as it disappeared into the distance.

\------------------------------

Back at the castle the others had continued to fight through the pain of believing both Emma and Regina had perished, but they all paused as the rainbow gust swept passed their faces. Henry whipped around to face Snow.

"Grandma they did it!" He bellowed. "They made it!" She smiled and nodded back and they continued to fight with new found drive.

\-------------------------------

As Regina continued to stare off into the distance, she didn't notice Emma slowly waking beneath her.

"Regina?" she said as her eyes blinked open. She looked down, almost unable to process what was happening.

"Emma." she breathed out, but was unable to say anything else.

"Is it you...I mean...you, you...not wish you or split you, or evil you, or past you..."Emma started to ramble. Regina started shaking her head and followed it with a breathy laugh.

"Miss Swan..." she said softly with a smile.

"It's you." Emma said in answer to her own question. She looked into her eyes, still trying to get her bearings. She was about to say something when she spotted the blood on Regina's clothes. "Oh my God, are you okay?!" she said reaching a hand toward the spot. Regina pulled back before her hand made contact.

"It's okay. Look. It...it healed." Regina said, confused, as she pulled back the fabric where the knife had cut her to reveal the smooth unharmed skin beneath it. Emma breathed a sigh of relief, and then furrowed her brow as she got a better look at her.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Emma asked.

"Zelena..." Regina began, Emma cut her off with a nod.

"Got it." Emma understood. Regina smiled. She smiled back, but then gave her a questioning look. Regina shook her head.

"Oh, sorry." she said as she realized Emma was still on the ground. She moved off her so she could sit up.

"It's okay, I..." Emma trailed off as she stared into Regina's eyes. Their faces inched closer, the gravity guiding them toward each other. They were so close they could feel the heat off each other's skin. Regina's mind couldn't form thought and her heart was beating a mile a minute. Just as she could feel Emma's eyelashes flutter against her own there was a loud rumble coming from the direction of the castle and they sprang apart.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.

"Trouble." Regina said as she stood up. "We have to get back now." she held out her hand to Emma.

"Back where? What's going on?" Emma asked as she took Regina's hand to get up.

"Why don't you ask her?" Regina said as she picked up the snow globe. There was another large rumble. "On second thought, there's no time. We have to go now." Regina said and rushed to her horse that was still waiting for her. She got on and held out her hand to Emma. Emma stared for a second.

"What?" Regina wondered.

"Nothing." Emma replied with a smirk and took her hand, getting up on the horse behind her.

"Hold on tight." Regina said.

"Not a problem." Emma said, and they took off in the direction of the castle.


	13. Chapter 13

//Previously

"A portal?" Emma wondered. Regina gave an affirmative look and turned her attention back toward the flaming circle. when a very familiar scaly green face appeared. "It can't be..." Emma started. Regina's eye's grew wide and then angry.

"Rumpelstiltskin." she growled.//

\--------------------------------

Some time ago in Wish Neverland

"What the hell is he doing here?" asked Emma.

"He's Rumpelstiltskin, I'm sure his reason is not good...wait...you know Rumpelstiltskin? How?" Regina asked.

"I don't, I...I've hhheard stories. Everyone has a tale about the Dark One." Emma tried to cover. Regina was still suspicious but let it go.

"This might be our way off this God forsaken island, finally." Regina said.

"No. No way I'm not making a deal..." Emma started. Regina shook her head.

"No. No deals. But he got here somehow, and Rumple never does anything without an exit strategy, which means he has a way back. I say we steal a ride on the portal out of here." Regina said.

"How are we gonna do that? The Dark One doesn't do anything for free." Emma says.

"He will if he doesn't know about it." Regina replies.

"And what if he finds out. He's not gonna be easy to fool." Emma said.

"Not easy, doesn't mean impossible. It's been done before, it can be done again." Regina said. "But first I think we need to figure out why he's here to begin with."

They used their knowledge of the island to follow Rumpelstiltskin without him knowing for quite some time. Regina had been there so long she practically knew every broken branch like the back of her hand. He hadn't done anything yet but walk. They followed him for hours, until it finally started to get dark and he stopped in a clearing. He sat then and made a fire. The dark one doesn't sleep, but they supposed he needed a break, lucky for them because they were getting exhausted. They sat and watched him for awhile more until they were sure he wasn't going anywhere, then Regina gestured to Emma to follow her. They moved into another, smaller clearing not too far away.

"Well, that was pointless, he didn't do anything suspicious all day. What could he possibly want in Neverland?" Regina asked.  
Emma had an idea, but she clearly couldn't share it with Regina. It would be difficult to explain how she knew Pan was Rumple's father. So she just shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'll tell you what. I'm not gonna let up until I find out. We can camp here tonight. We can take turns keeping watch. The last thing I need is him sneaking up on us in the middle of the night." Regina said. Emma said nothing but followed suit and started making camp.

It had been a few hours. Regina had decided to take first watch, almost to no use as Emma couldn't sleep anyway. She lie awake just a few feet from where Regina sat eagle eyed. It wasn't only their pursuit of Rumpelstiltskin that kept her awake, but her earlier dip in the water with Regina. She wondered if she was thinking about it too. But she was also thinking about her Regina, and Henry and her real life and how for a small moment, she'd almost forgotten she wasn't there. For a moment she'd almost thought that this Regina was the one she shared a son with...and she had been swimming naked with her in that moment and she had to stop herself from thinking things she had not thought about before. Why did it feel so normal to think those things?

"Do you really think this is wise. I mean, he's Rumpelstiltskin, he may already know we're following him." Emma said.

"I'm sure he does since you refuse to be quiet." Regina snapped.

"I'm just saying, what if this is a trap? What if he wants us to follow him?" Emma said.

"It's not." Regina said.

"How can you be sure?" Emma asked.

"I know him well. I would be able to tell if he were on to us. No. He's focused on something. When he focuses like that, he doesn't see anything else. It's his one weakness. It was his focus on the curse that got him imprisoned in the first place." She explained. "The question is...what has him so consumed now? That worries me more than anything."

Emma didn't reply, just attempted to sleep. The attempt didn't last long as Rumple decided it was time to start moving again. Regina nudged her and they quietly started following again. As they trekked deeper into the jungle, Emma started to feel like something was familiar, and not in a good way. Then she realized why. As they followed Rumple to another clearing, they could start to see the ocean front ahead and not too far into the vast body of water, a large skull sat atop a tiny island could be seen.

"Skull Rock" Regina said just at the perfect time as to make Emma believe momentarily her mind had been thinking aloud. As they watched him approach the edge of the cliff overlooking the water, Pan's shadow floated down in front of him.

"So Pan has figured out I'm here alreay." Rumple guessed. The shadow nodded. "Good. He should also know I'm coming for him. Especially since I know he can't stop me anymore. I know he's weakening." The shadow squinted at him threateningly and nodded again before taking off, presumably to warn Pan.

"Pan is weakening?" Regina asked rhetorically. "But why does any of this matter to Rumple?"

"Maybe Pan owes him something?" Emma suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Regina replied, unconvinced.

"Well, it looks like we are about to find out." Emma motioned toward Rumple as they watched him poof himself down to the beach and get into a small boat waiting on the shore. "If we can catch up to him?" how are we supposed to get down there from here?"

"Haven't you been paying attention." Regina said as she pushed a bush aside to reveal a rope with a handle hanging from it. "I always have a way out."

"Wait, you want me to trust that ratty old rope to hold my weight all the way down there?" Emma complained.

"You could just wait here." Regina said.

"I kind of hate you." Emma said.

"Shut up and grab the rope blondie." Regina said. Emma took the handle.

"Can we quit it with the blondie stuff already?" Emma asked. Regina feigned thought.

"Hmm. No." she deadpanned as she gave Emma a starting shove off the cliff. Emma mentally vowed to kill her on her way down.


	14. Chapter 14

They sped past trees and rocks as Emma held on for dear life. She didn't know a horse could go that fast with two people riding it. Her arms were wrapped around Regina's waist and despite the situation, that was the only thing she could think about. Her arms fit perfectly around her...almost as if they were made to be there. The wind whipping Regina's hair in her face wasn't helping. It smelled amazing...until a crash and a bolt of light blasting through the sky snapped her out of it.

"What's happening!!" Emma asked loudly over the noise.

"Let's just say our little friend here has been very busy." Regina said, referring to the snow globe that now dangled from her belt. There was another rumble in the sky and Emma could see what appeared to be a dragon in the distance. Suddenly, the smell of Regina's hair wasn't the first thing on her mind anymore. As they got closer to the castle, Emma spotted what she could swear was a motorcycle.

"Wait...we are in the enchanted forest aren't we?" Emma asked.

"That's a complicated answer." Regina responded.

"How is that complicated?" Emma wondered.

"I have a lot to catch you up on." Regina said as the castle came into view. Her parent's castle...it was intact again...but how?

"I guess I did miss a lot." Emma said.

"You don't know the half of it." Regina said as they stopped just outside the gate. Emma got off the horse and realized immediately that she definitely should never ride a horse again. Regina quickly and gracefully jumped off behind her as she stood awkwardly.

"Show off." Emma said. Regina tried not to chuckle.

"You haven't been on a horse much have you?" Regina asked.

"Only once, and we weren't going that fast." Emma said as she tried to straighten up.

"We might have to fix that." Regina said as she took a step toward her, eyes fixed. Just as they were about to get lost in each other the ground rumbled again with the sounds of battle. Emma looked up to see wish Maleficent fly overhead.

"Was that Maleficent? I thought she was in our side now." Emma said.

"She is. That's Maleficent from the wish realm." Regina clarified. "We really need to go." Emma nodded as they rushed through the gate. Snow and David spotted them right away and ran over to them.

"Emma! Regina!" Snow shouted. She went to hug Emma and stopped herself. "You are Emma and Regina right? I mean the real ones..." Emma began to speak just as the other Emma came up behind Snow.

"She is your Emma." She said. She held up her hands. "My magic is gone..." she paused and looked at Emma. "And my memories are back." Emma sighed and looked at her apologetically.

"Wait..." said Wish Henry as he came out from behind Hook. "So it's true...that means...you're my mom. For real." She nodded, and he ran over and hugged her. hook looked on, confused and maybe a little upset.

"If that's her Henry...where is ours?" asked Emma.

"About that," said Regina. "before you see him there's something you should know..." Just as Regina was about to finish the thought, a stream of fire grazed past them as the ground rumbled again. "I think we need to deal with that first. Emma nodded as she tried to hit it with her magic.

"I guess I'm a little rusty." she said as it fizzled short.

"Maybe...together..." Regina said tentatively, a bit nervous. Emma nodded and slowly reached for her hand. Sparks moved between their fingers a bit and it spooked them just a little at first. They pulled back, but then gave each other an understanding look and finally their hands made full contact. They put their hands up and a stream of magic like neither of them had ever felt before flowed from their fingers and toward their enemies. The sky lit up like the sun had exploded onto earth. Wish Maleficent began to fall from the sky and the army stopped advancing. Wish Zelena looked up, infuriated. She changed her aim from getting to the heart to destroying Emma and Regina. They refocused their magic on her, and their magic met hers and after fighting each other for a moment, there was an explosion and Wish Zelena fell backward. She tried to take another shot at them from the ground, but nothing happened. She looked at her hands and screamed. Emma and Regina zapped her into a magical cage as she continued to yell. The army then began dispersing quickly as Regina's men chased them down to capture as many as they could.

"We did it." Emma said in awe.

"Yes, we did." Regina replied. Just then, Henry found them.

"Moms!" he yelled as he raced toward them. Emma whipped around to see him.

"Wait...Moms?" Emma questioned as she looked toward Regina.

"That's what I was trying to tell you." Regina began, but was cut off by Henry slamming into Emma with a hard hug. Emma pulls back to look at him.

"Henry...I...how long was I gone?" Emma asked.

"Not as long as you think. It's a long story, but it was much longer for me than it was for everyone else." He explains. Emma looks visibly upset over this.

"I...I missed so much..." she said.

"Not really, I mean yeah, but you not because you were asleep..." he began.

"I may as well have been out for twenty years. I have no idea what's going on and you're all grown up and what else did I miss?" Emma began to freak out a little.

"There is one more thing you should know." Regina said in attempt at a calming tone. Emma gave her a 'what now' type look. Regina was about to explain when Lucy came running out of the castle toward them.

"Grandma?" she asked as she looked up at Emma. Emma's mouth dropped open, speechless. She looked up at Regina who nodded cautiously in confirmation. Emma looked back at Lucy and then at Henry as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"I missed everything." she said quietly and began crying a little harder.

"Mom, it's okay." Henry said.

"No it's not." She replied. Henry pulled her into a hug as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset her." Lucy said.

"It's okay, you didn't." Regina said smoothing her hair to comfort her. Regina looked back at Emma and wanted to sooth her, but felt as though much of this was her fault, guilt kept her from doing more than slowly resting a hand on her shoulder. Henry remedied that by pulling Regina into the hug. It had been far too long since he was able to hug them both at the same time. It felt like coming home, even if Emma was upset. They stayed like that for a moment, forgetting that everyone was watching them.


End file.
